A fine dance gets orchestrated by baristas every day. It even has a musical accompaniment in the form of grinders grinding and blenders blending. These are the industrial sounds that fuel our modern civilization. Without sounds such as these driving us forward, there is a good chance nobody would get out of bed. The lure of coffee, however, is too strong to ignore and we march collectively forward, eager to face the day, blended coffee drink in hand. And now, that elegant daily ritual can live right on the kitchen counter.

Get a jump on the day with the Hamilton Beach 40918 Java Blend Coffee Brewer ($79.99). Combining a blender and a personal-size coffee brewer, the combination device packs a big punch in a small space. The traditional brewer uses paper filters for the coffeemaker side, brewing directly into a 16 ounce travel mug. The blender side of the appliance features a 32-ounce blending jar with two speeds as well as a pulse button.

Not relegated solely to the realm of coffee drinks, the appliance can of course, be used to blend other items. Frozen coffee drinks now have to contend with smoothies and milkshakes for attention, but of course that all adds up to a win-win for everybody -- except maybe for the barista left wondering where everybody went.